One of my Turkeys! (Caitlin wearing overalls my friend Kate had given us)
How cute is that Turkey Butt!
The Turkey Burglar:
Enjoying the meal:
Our feast:
Pumpkin Pie!
And here's the moment that made my day, JP at the end of the Macy's parade:
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving 2009
Happy Thanksgiving! It was a beautiful day here today and we had such a nice relaxing Thanksgiving. For the past few years now we have enjoyed just taking it easy and not trying to do too much. I get a new movie & a couple of games to play and we enjoy just being together. Carolyn, Paul, Eloise & Willa did stop by, so we loved being able to see some family, but overall it was a stress free day with lots of food and yet another chance to be amazed by all our blessings and be thankful for all God has given us. We hope all our family around the country had a great day too!
One of my Turkeys! (Caitlin wearing overalls my friend Kate had given us)
How cute is that Turkey Butt!
The Turkey Burglar:
Enjoying the meal:
Our feast:
Pumpkin Pie!
One of my Turkeys! (Caitlin wearing overalls my friend Kate had given us)
How cute is that Turkey Butt!
The Turkey Burglar:
Enjoying the meal:
Our feast:
Pumpkin Pie!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
18 Months Old & Daddy Graduates (well sort of)
Sorry this has taken so long- the flu got me! Here's an extra long post to make up for it. :)
Last week we went in for the trio's 18 month check up. It's so hard to believe that they are over 1 1/2 years old now. They all continue to do new things and find new ways to make us laugh (and sometimes want to pull our hair out) everyday. The doctor is very happy with everyone's development. Their growth was great also except for Ryan's weight. He actually was 4oz. less than his 15 month appointment. His height is in the 90% percentile now, so with him being sick in the past week and given how he never slows down, the doctor is pretty sure its in his genetic makeup to be tall & thin. Just to be sure, we have to bring him in for a weight check in a few weeks.
All of kids are constantly on the go and trying to climb onto anything that will elevate them even a little. We now keep our kitchen chairs stacked up restaurant style most of the day just to keep them off. I also have a gate around most of the family room to keep them off the table and away from the electronics. They are all masters at going up & down the stairs. They are starting to try to stand up as they go & it makes me so nervous!
All three like telling me when someone is doing something that they are not supposed to. They will shake their finger at that person and say "Ah Ah Ah" until I come and do something about it. This is actually a good thing!
All are starting to talk more and be able to communicate better. They are all very good at saying "more", "bye-bye", and "that". This gets them most of what they want. They can all shake their head "yes" or "no" when I ask them a question. They can do animal sounds & say things like "movie". I've heard different words out of each such as "shoe" from Caitlin and "eye" from Madison. Ryan is starting to put 2 words together by saying things like "Bye-Bye Dada", but not on a regular basis.
They all still go down at 7pm and get up about 7am. They take one long nap in the morning which can range from 1 hour to 3 (if I get lucky). I do put them in their cribs for an hour at about 3pm for "rest time", but it usually results in them seeing who can be the most entertaining. Occasionally one or two will fall asleep if they need it.
Caitlin is still the "little mommy" of the group. She will go and get whatever I ask her to. She also seeks the most attention from us and is a Huge "Daddy's Girl". She is going to be our drama queen and already will put up quite the fuss if she doesn't get her way. Both the girls have curly hair, but Caiti's seems to be curlier. The girls still seem to go in "phases" of looking more or less alike. We did accidentally put the girls to bed in the wrong cribs a few weeks ago. It didn't seem to bother them a bit!
We still call Madison "Pepper" because she is a little firecracker. She has so much spunk yet she actually plays the best by herself. She has recently come down with "Caiti-itous" and has to have Daddy hold her when he comes in the room. She has quite a little temper when she gets mad, but is still the cutest little thing. As always, she weighs about a pound less than Caitlin, but can eat more than her many days. She's the only one that has her own little language and we love it when she runs around talking her talk.
Ryan is always looking for trouble- what a little boy! His favorite book is the one with the cars and trucks and can say "car" "truck" "vrmm vrmm". He can also say "choo choo" which seems to be his favorite toy to play with these days. He is a mamma's boy and loves to be cuddled. He actually likes to give hugs and cuddle more than the girls. When the trio is around someone new, he is the first to warm up and usually tries to get the person to hold him. But he has a temper also and will run around screaming and then bang his head against a wall or the floor when he gets mad. Luckily the doctor doesn't seem to concerned with it & says he's just strong-willed. Actually, I think we've been blessed with 4 VERY strong-willed kids! :)
The kids are starting to play more and more together and will often bring each other things (toys, blankets) or act silly just to get the others to laugh. They all are starting to play pretend and often act like they are cooking something and try to feed us or each other (very cute). People ask if it is easier now that they are mobile. I think the answer is "yes" in many ways. As they gain independence so do I. However, the worry that something is going to happen that they will hurt themselves is much more concerning now. It is so fun to watch them grow and discover new things, but still scary because they can easily be off in 3 different directions and I cannot always see what everyone is doing. Joe & I are just doing our best and hope that we can make it through the next couple of years until they can turn on their "listening ears"! :)
Ryan: 25lbs,6oz (40%), 33.75in (90%), 19"head (70%)
Caitlin: 21lbs,8oz (12%), 32in (55%), 17 7/8"head (25%)
Madison: 20lbs,10oz (7%), 31.5in (50%), 17.75"head (15%)
Maddi (with food on her mouth) & Ryan laughing as I tell him to NOT bang his head on the wall.
Caitlin- they're looking so big!
Here's some videos I took tonight. Of course I wanted them to do all their cute tricks, but as usual, they did what they felt like!
Ryan acting like a crazy man:
I tried to get Maddi to "talk her talk", but she was more interested in body parts:
Cute Caitlin, but Ryan tried to steal the show:
Daddy Graduates!
After 3 years Joe finished his MBA from Denver University. He did it through back surgery, me on bedrest for three months and pretty much having to be a single Dad, the first year of triplets and oh yeah, a full-time job where he has to travel all the time! We are so proud of him and and also happy to have Daddy home more now!
Last Thursday was the winter commencement ceremony. We had intended for just JP and I to go watch him and Anne and Sean volunteered to watch the trio. Well, about 4 hours before I learned that the ceremony was not at 6:30 as we had planned, but at 4:30. This changed everything as I knew that Sean would not be off work yet to get here. Joe and I decided that we should probably just attempt to bring the trio and hope for the best. He left early and the plan was for me to get JP off the bus at 3:40, get him changed and then head to DU with all the kids.
As we were driving, Joe called and told me the venue was very small and if the babies made any sounds everyone would probably hear them. After two more phone calls and him checking out the logistics, he decided to bail on the ceremony. I was sad that he was not able to go through a formal graduation, but I also knew that I would not be able to enjoy watching him and also try to keep an eye on 4 kids.
Just as we were pulling in to get him to go out to dinner Caitlin threw up. At first we decided to just have the boys grab some dinner and meet us at home. But after driving a little Joe and I spoke and I told him that Caitlin was not too bad and I thought we should still go out to celebrate. We met at a nice little Italian place close to our house and had a great dinner. The kiddos were so happy to be out of the house and were very well behaved. We celebrated his graduation with a cannoli and our family :) Not exactly typical, but really what about our life is these days?!
The graduate: in front of the building where the ceremony took place
Ryan going after the cannoli:
Our family celebration:
Last week we went in for the trio's 18 month check up. It's so hard to believe that they are over 1 1/2 years old now. They all continue to do new things and find new ways to make us laugh (and sometimes want to pull our hair out) everyday. The doctor is very happy with everyone's development. Their growth was great also except for Ryan's weight. He actually was 4oz. less than his 15 month appointment. His height is in the 90% percentile now, so with him being sick in the past week and given how he never slows down, the doctor is pretty sure its in his genetic makeup to be tall & thin. Just to be sure, we have to bring him in for a weight check in a few weeks.
All of kids are constantly on the go and trying to climb onto anything that will elevate them even a little. We now keep our kitchen chairs stacked up restaurant style most of the day just to keep them off. I also have a gate around most of the family room to keep them off the table and away from the electronics. They are all masters at going up & down the stairs. They are starting to try to stand up as they go & it makes me so nervous!
All three like telling me when someone is doing something that they are not supposed to. They will shake their finger at that person and say "Ah Ah Ah" until I come and do something about it. This is actually a good thing!
All are starting to talk more and be able to communicate better. They are all very good at saying "more", "bye-bye", and "that". This gets them most of what they want. They can all shake their head "yes" or "no" when I ask them a question. They can do animal sounds & say things like "movie". I've heard different words out of each such as "shoe" from Caitlin and "eye" from Madison. Ryan is starting to put 2 words together by saying things like "Bye-Bye Dada", but not on a regular basis.
They all still go down at 7pm and get up about 7am. They take one long nap in the morning which can range from 1 hour to 3 (if I get lucky). I do put them in their cribs for an hour at about 3pm for "rest time", but it usually results in them seeing who can be the most entertaining. Occasionally one or two will fall asleep if they need it.
Caitlin is still the "little mommy" of the group. She will go and get whatever I ask her to. She also seeks the most attention from us and is a Huge "Daddy's Girl". She is going to be our drama queen and already will put up quite the fuss if she doesn't get her way. Both the girls have curly hair, but Caiti's seems to be curlier. The girls still seem to go in "phases" of looking more or less alike. We did accidentally put the girls to bed in the wrong cribs a few weeks ago. It didn't seem to bother them a bit!
We still call Madison "Pepper" because she is a little firecracker. She has so much spunk yet she actually plays the best by herself. She has recently come down with "Caiti-itous" and has to have Daddy hold her when he comes in the room. She has quite a little temper when she gets mad, but is still the cutest little thing. As always, she weighs about a pound less than Caitlin, but can eat more than her many days. She's the only one that has her own little language and we love it when she runs around talking her talk.
Ryan is always looking for trouble- what a little boy! His favorite book is the one with the cars and trucks and can say "car" "truck" "vrmm vrmm". He can also say "choo choo" which seems to be his favorite toy to play with these days. He is a mamma's boy and loves to be cuddled. He actually likes to give hugs and cuddle more than the girls. When the trio is around someone new, he is the first to warm up and usually tries to get the person to hold him. But he has a temper also and will run around screaming and then bang his head against a wall or the floor when he gets mad. Luckily the doctor doesn't seem to concerned with it & says he's just strong-willed. Actually, I think we've been blessed with 4 VERY strong-willed kids! :)
The kids are starting to play more and more together and will often bring each other things (toys, blankets) or act silly just to get the others to laugh. They all are starting to play pretend and often act like they are cooking something and try to feed us or each other (very cute). People ask if it is easier now that they are mobile. I think the answer is "yes" in many ways. As they gain independence so do I. However, the worry that something is going to happen that they will hurt themselves is much more concerning now. It is so fun to watch them grow and discover new things, but still scary because they can easily be off in 3 different directions and I cannot always see what everyone is doing. Joe & I are just doing our best and hope that we can make it through the next couple of years until they can turn on their "listening ears"! :)
Ryan: 25lbs,6oz (40%), 33.75in (90%), 19"head (70%)
Caitlin: 21lbs,8oz (12%), 32in (55%), 17 7/8"head (25%)
Madison: 20lbs,10oz (7%), 31.5in (50%), 17.75"head (15%)
Maddi (with food on her mouth) & Ryan laughing as I tell him to NOT bang his head on the wall.
Caitlin- they're looking so big!
Here's some videos I took tonight. Of course I wanted them to do all their cute tricks, but as usual, they did what they felt like!
Ryan acting like a crazy man:
I tried to get Maddi to "talk her talk", but she was more interested in body parts:
Cute Caitlin, but Ryan tried to steal the show:
Daddy Graduates!
After 3 years Joe finished his MBA from Denver University. He did it through back surgery, me on bedrest for three months and pretty much having to be a single Dad, the first year of triplets and oh yeah, a full-time job where he has to travel all the time! We are so proud of him and and also happy to have Daddy home more now!
Last Thursday was the winter commencement ceremony. We had intended for just JP and I to go watch him and Anne and Sean volunteered to watch the trio. Well, about 4 hours before I learned that the ceremony was not at 6:30 as we had planned, but at 4:30. This changed everything as I knew that Sean would not be off work yet to get here. Joe and I decided that we should probably just attempt to bring the trio and hope for the best. He left early and the plan was for me to get JP off the bus at 3:40, get him changed and then head to DU with all the kids.
As we were driving, Joe called and told me the venue was very small and if the babies made any sounds everyone would probably hear them. After two more phone calls and him checking out the logistics, he decided to bail on the ceremony. I was sad that he was not able to go through a formal graduation, but I also knew that I would not be able to enjoy watching him and also try to keep an eye on 4 kids.
Just as we were pulling in to get him to go out to dinner Caitlin threw up. At first we decided to just have the boys grab some dinner and meet us at home. But after driving a little Joe and I spoke and I told him that Caitlin was not too bad and I thought we should still go out to celebrate. We met at a nice little Italian place close to our house and had a great dinner. The kiddos were so happy to be out of the house and were very well behaved. We celebrated his graduation with a cannoli and our family :) Not exactly typical, but really what about our life is these days?!
The graduate: in front of the building where the ceremony took place
Ryan going after the cannoli:
Our family celebration:
Monday, November 16, 2009
All About JP
Ear Infections, Tubes and the Flu...that pretty much sums up life around here lately!
I'm happy to report that life is getting back to normal and everyone seems to be recovering. Poor JP, he has definitely taken the brunt of the illness lately. For the past couple of months, we have noticed that he has not been hearing well. It's so hard because at first you think its just typical little boy syndrome of not listening and get upset with him telling him to pay attention & listen. We really started to notice it when we were in Florida and made an appointment to see the ENT when we got back. Of course, we did wonder first if he just got too much ocean water in his ears!
JP had tubes in his ears about 18 months ago, so its not the first time we've dealt with this. The doctor looked in his ears and sure enough, they were filled with fluid and he said they looked pretty bad. The tubes had fallen into his ear canal, so they were not working anymore. He felt that JP would probably be needing a second set of tubes, but wanted to try antibiotics together with a steroid to see if that would help first.
As he was on the meds, he also came down with the flu the following Saturday. He had a 103.6 fever and pretty much drifted in and out of sleep all day. As Sunday and Monday came, he started to feel better, but it did really drain him. We are assuming it may have been H1N1 because so many other kids in his class had it with similar symptoms. He went back to school on Tuesday, but then on Thursday, we received a call saying that he had a rash all over his face and body and that he looked "really bad". We packed up everyone and headed to the pediatrician. The babies had a mild dose of the flu too, but were just plain grumpy, so I just asked if they could take a look at everyone since we were coming in anyway. It was funny, the doctor walked in and laughed an told us in his 25 years in practice, he had never had 4 kids in the same family come in at once!
JP had an allergic reaction to the penicillin and that's why he broke out in a rash. He also said his ears were still very bad with some scarring also. He called our ENT's office to get our next appointment moved up to ASAP. The babies also were diagnosed with ear infections. Some had it worse than others, but he put them all on antibiotic just to be safe. On Friday, JP got this crazy rash above his lip. We emailed Aunt Gretchen and she said it looks like broken capillaries. We still don't know how he got it, but luckily it is starting to fade.
Today we headed back to the ENT. JP's second tube surgery is set for December 11th. In all likelihood, his adenoids will also come out. He said he wouldn't know until he gets in there to look, but if they are at all enlarged it will come out. Hopefully then our big guy will be back to hearing just fine. The doctor feels the scarring shouldn't affect his hearing. I know that not hearing has affected him at school and socially also, so I will be so happy when this is over. I scheduled it when Grandmom & Pop come out because we have to be at the hospital at 6:15 am. Hopefully JP will recover quickly again so he will have lots of fun playtime with them!
On a much lighter note, there has been a lot of talk and excitement about Santa coming this year. When the Target Toy Book came out, I asked JP to look for things he may like to have. He was looking at it and said "Mom, look coupons!" He knows that I am a Big coupon shopper. He cut 2 of them out and sent them in an envelope to the North Pole for Santa with notes attached saying, "I want this please".
Yet another example of how my frugality doesn't fall far from the tree- This weekend JP had been playing a golf game on our "pretend Wii". He was talking about how good he was at golfing and we were all discussing how he might need some clubs. Joe & I told him that may be a good thing to ask for his birthday. He said no maybe for Christmas from Santa, that way it would be "Free"! ;)
The Trio turned 18 months yesterday! It's so hard to believe. We go Wednesday for their 18 month check up, so I will try to give all the latest updates after that.
Our poor guy with the flu on Saturday:
The mystery rash:
His note to Santa with coupons for an Air Hogs R/C helicopter & Nerf Gun. I have it on good authority Santa will be bringing him one of these things!
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